Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Snake Bites, Dog Bites, and Fires!

Here is an update Dad wrote:


“Pastor, please call me.”  The message glowing on my cellphone was from one of our students conducting an evangelistic series on another island.  The text messages that we have received from our students doing their own evangelistic meetings, have been filled with a mixture of delight and desperation. 

One text read, “Praise God. We had the biggest crowd last night, despite the weather.  Some were absent.  All is well except my laptop is bogging down.  Thanks for the prayers.”

Another student wrote, “Good morning. How can I work? My old laptop is totally gone.  The problem is the motherboard.  I pray to God for a new laptop please, because I am scheduled to speak this evening and tomorrow morning.”

We had no money to buy a laptop, and since the student was partner-preaching with another student who had a laptop, I figured they would work something out.  The next night I received the following text from the same student:  “Good evening.  The sound system is broken, and I had to speak in a loud voice without the microphone.  I think God used me.  Last night my laptop died.  This night the sound system broke!”

We had conducted a class on speaking without a PA, and I knew the student had a good voice, so I wasn’t too concerned.  His next message the following day, did concern me.

“I need your prayers for brother Joefer because he is not feeling well.  He started the topic on Hellfire, but was not able to finish.  He became so weak he had to sit down, and I had to take over and finish the presentation.”

When we called, we learned that his partner Joefer, had gotten weak and dizzy while preaching.  After some careful testing by our PAFCOE doctor and supporter, it was determined that he just needed more rest!  Both the students had been getting up at 4 am, and going to the homes of backslidden Adventists to sing to them before breakfast.  Then with a busy day of seminar preparation and visitation, and the evening’s presentations, they were just overworking.  Our kind PAFCOE doctor ordered them to take a rest on their off days.  We agreed!

Another text from a different student read, “Tonight Satan tried to disrupt us while I was preaching about Hellfire.  One kid in the children’s program started a fire, and all the children came running down the stairs screaming.”

We learned soon after, that what had actually happened was a short-circuit in the electrical wiring that started the fire.  The children did go screaming out of the room, but it wasn’t a mischievous kid that started it.  The fire was quickly dealt with, and the children returned for the remainder of the meeting.

Another student told me on the phone that he had gotten bitten by a dog while out walking, and had to go in for Rabies shots since the bite was so deep.

Just today, we heard that one of our students was bitten by a snake!  When we inquired what happened, it seems that the snake wasn’t poisonous, since the student informed us that he was OK. 

Another PAFCOE student, doing an evangelistic series for children, told us that he has become a “celebrity” in town.  Where ever he goes he often has a group of friendly children following him.  They told him that they like him because he doesn’t get angry with them like their teachers often do.  They go around singing the scripture songs they have been learning in his program.  He said that these Catholic children are singing the Ten Commandments in their homes!

Some of the children, when their parents discovered what they were learning, were ordered to “stay away.”  The creative kids then went to their friends, and asked them to go to the meetings in their place, to get the material and the message.  Some have been slipping back into the meetings against their parent’s wishes.  The student has been averaging over a hundred children each evening!

Our students are in their final week of the evangelistic meetings they’ve been conducting.  It has been a real “adventure” for all of them!  When we get together next week for reports, we are anticipating some exciting stories.  We’ll pass them on to you.

Again, thank you for your prayers and support!

Your friends,
Pastor Lowell, family, and team,
PAFCOE (Philippine Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism)